Asparagus grading machine



Sept. 19, 1933.

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Filed May 31, 1950 3 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR WL'LL R John son BY a Se t. 19, 1933. w. R. JOHNSON ASPARAGUS GRADING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 4/511 2-? cfiuhn 8012 BY @fi .mw;

ATTORNEY Sept. 19, 1933. w. R. JOHNSON ASPARAGUS GRADING MACHINE Filed May 31, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I I l INVENTOR Will R Job]: 6012 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ASPARAGUS GRADING MACHINE Application May 31, 1930. Serial No. 458,069

6 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for grading asparagus as to diameter or thickness prior to the canning of the same. My principal object is to provide a machine for the purpose which 5 will effectively grade asparagus within reasonably close limits, with great rapidity yet without danger of clogging the machine and without the possibility of pinching and damaging the asparagus as it is graded. The grading is entirely automatic in action and the machine needs no manual attention other than to remove the boxes as filled and into which the different sizes of asparagus drop and replace them with empties. The machine therefore does away with hand grading and is much faster and assures an asparagus pack of uniformly standard sizes; so that the proper number of stalks will go into each can of a certain grade or size, as is customary and desirable.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed- These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved grader, the near guard or splash plate being removed.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the grader at its receiving end partly broken out.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the grader adjacent its discharge end.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the grader.

Fig. 5 is a side view of one type of shakingdrive for the grader.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of a modified form of shaking drive.

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal elevation of a modified form of a grading roller unit.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a pair of transversely spaced side beams, which constitute the main supporting frame of the grader and which are rigidly supported at their ends by legs 2 which are of different lengths so that the beams will set at a considerable slope. The grader comprises a rectangular frame 3 having side rollers 4 mounted on the outside thereof and which ride on the beams 1; the latter having rollers 5 mounted on vertical axes and engaging the sides of the grader frame. The frame may therefore move longitudinally in a relatively frictionless manner while being held against lateral displacement, the frame of course has the same slope as the supporting beams 1, and a longitudinal shaking movement is imparted to said grader frame and controlled by a suitable mechanism. The mechanism as shown in Fig. 5 comprises a flywheel 6 or the like mounted on a transverse axis in connection with the main beam 1 beyond the lower end of the grade-r frame, from which flywheel an eccentrically disposed pin or stub shaft '7 projects. Adjustably fixed on this shaft in eccentric relation thereto is a disc 8, so that the throw of the disc relative to the axis of the flywheel may be varied to suit or even neutralized if desired. This disc engages a shoe 9, the disc engaging face of which is curved on an arc of considerably greater radius than that of the disc. This feature causes a more or less jerky movement of uneven speed to be imparted to the shoe. The shoe is mounted for vertical adjustment so as to alter the timing of said uneven shoe-speeds in a yoke 10 which is secured to a shaft 11 projecting lengthwise of the grader frame and secured to the lower end of the same centrally of its width. This shaft is journaled in bearings 12 fixed in connection with the main frame beams, and is engaged by a comframe of less than an inch, and the flywheel is rotated at a somewhat high speed by a belt-drive or other suitable power means.

In the type of drive shown in Fig. 6, the eccentric 8a is mounted directly on the shaft S of the flywheel 6a; the eccentric being engaged by a strap 14 which is connected to a link 15 having pivotal connection with the sliding shaft 11a. With this form of drive the spring 13 is not necessary, since the strap is always in surrounding engagement with the eccentric. The throw of the eccentric however cannot be varied, nor can the relative speed of travel or shaking of the grader frame.

Journaled in the ends of the frame 3 is a plurality of pairs of rollers 16, which are of the same diameter throughout but are disposed in gradually diverging relation to each other from the upper to the lower end of the frame. This arrangement provides grading slots 17 of gradually increasing width from the upper to the lower end of the grader, and which determine the diameter of the grad ng of the asparagus. The adjacent rollers of adjacent pairs are however parallel to each other and may be disposed quite close together. The same arrangement as to a gradual increasing in the spacing between adjacent roller surfaces, may be obtained by using parallel rollers as shown at 16 in Fig. 7, which rollers are cut in steps of a certain length and of gradually decreasing diameter.

The rollers are driven, preferably from the upper end of the frame 3, by any suitable mechanism and so that the adjacent sides of the rollers of each pair move upwardly or away from each other and from the included slots 1'7. A convenient form of drive under the circumstances is here shown and comprises sprocket pinions 18 fixed on the ends of all the rollers outwardly of the frame 3, and alternately engaged on the top and bottom by an endless chain 19. This chain depends to and extends about a driving sprocket 20 journaled in connection with the main frame at the corresponding end. The alternate points of engagement of the chain with the pinions causes adjacent rollers to travel in opposite directions, as will be evident. The distance from the pinions to the driving sprocket is suflicient to permit of the variation in alinement of the pinions relative to the driving sprocket, had with the shaking of the grading frame,- without interfering with the movement of the chain.

Extending lengthwise of and over the adjacent rollers of adjacent pairs are inverted V-shaped bars 21, which are disposed so as to be substantially tangent to the adjacent sides of the rollers of each pair. These bars thus form, with the rollers, channels of substantially V-shaped form the bottoms of which are the slots 17. These bars also prevent the asparagus from contacting with and becoming wedged between the parallel rollers. Said bars while clear of the rollers are sufficiently close to the same so that there is nopossibility of the asparagus becoming jammed between the bars and the rollers. Said bars are suspended in a fixed position separate from the grader frame, or so as to always remain stationary, by cross beams 22 extending over said grader frame and supported from the main beams 1. f

The asparagus to be graded is delivered into the upper ends of the grading channels from the adjacent troughs 24 of a distributor which is generally at 25 and which is of that special type particularly set forth in my co-pending application for patent Serial No. 459,696, filed June 'I, 1930. This distributor allows a considerable number of grading channels to be used while insuring that the asparagus will be delivered in substantially. equal volume to all the channels. This distributor is preferably mounted in connection with the grading frame so as to be rigid therewith and so that it will be shaken back and forth with the grader. Fixed guard or splash plates 26 project upwardly from the peaks of the outermost bars 21 and extend for the full length of the grader. These plates serve to prevent lateral splash of the water from overhanging spray nozzles 27 which depend from a pipe 28 supported from the crossbars 22 as shown in Fig. 1. This water serves not only to wash the asparagus but to also keep the rollers in a clean or non-sticky and lubricated condition.

The asparagus of different diameters or grades dropping through the grading slots 17 at different points in the length thereof, according to the diameter of the asparagus, are maintained segregated by a desired number of chutes or hoppers which include cross aprons 29 positioned under all the rollers and preferably adjustable lengthwise of the same. This enables the particular portion of the slots included between adjacent aprons to be altered as may be desired to control the grading and segregation of the asparagus within predetermined sized limits. The chutes at the bottom are verticallyalined with boxes 30 removably supported on a rack 31 mounted under the aprons and beams 1. Each box as filled is slid off the rack transversely of the machine and is replaced by an empty one. The particular direction of rotation of the slot defining rollers as described tends to maintain the asparagus in suspension. The individual stalks of asparagus therefore will only drop through the slots by reason of their own weight, instead of being practically forced through by the driving of the rollers, and possible bruising and wedging of the asparagus is thus positively prevented. Also the asparagus only thus drops when the portion of the slots raised by the asparagus in the travel of the same along the rollers is of sufficient width to freely receive the asparagus therethrough.

The longitudinal shaking of the rollers which accompanies the rotative movement of the same maintains the asparagus in a constant state of agitation, and speeds up the action and hence the grading capacity of the machine by preventing possible clogging when a large volume of asparagus is being delivered to the machine, without the necessity of setting the grader at such an excessive slope as would tend to cause the asparagus to pile up or be inaccurately graded.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein. a

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims;

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A grading machine including a pair of transversely spaced rollers arranged to provide a slot therebetween of increasing width from one end to the other of the rollers and into the narrow end of which the produce to be graded is initially discharged, means for driving said rollers in opposite directions so that the adjacent sides of the same travel upwardly, and separate means for imparting a longitudinal shaking movement to the rollers.

2. A grading machine including a pair of transversely spaced rollers arranged to provide a slot therebetween of increasing width from one end to the other of the rollers and into the narrow end of which the produce to be graded is initially discharged, means for driving said rollers in opposite directions, and separate means for shaking the rollers longitudinally.

3. A grading machine including a pair of transversely spaced rollers arranged to provide a slot therebetween of increasing width from one end to the other of the rollers and into the narrow end of which the produce to be graded is initially charged, means for driving said rollers in opposite directions, separate means for shaking the rollers lengthwise, and means supporting the said members against movement with the rollers.

4. A grading machine comprising a stationary frame, an auxiliary frame slidably guided and supported on the stationary frame, pairs of transversely spaced rollers extending lengthwise of and mounted on said auxiliary frame, members projecting upwardly from and extending lengthwise of the rollers to form channels with the sides of adjacent rollers, cross beams secured to the stationary frame at intervals and extending over and connected to said members, means applied to one end of the auxiliary frame to shake the same lengthwise, and means applied to one end of the rollers to rotate the same in predetermined directions.

5. A grading machine comprising a stationary frame, an auxiliary frame slidably guided and supported on the stationary frame, pairs of transversely spaced rollers extending lengthwise of and mounted on said auxiliary frame, means applied to one end of the auxiliary frame to shake the same lengthwise, sprockets secured in connection with the rollers at one end and beyond the corresponding end of the auxiliary frame, another driven sprocket disposed in parallel alinement with but remote from said roller sprockets, and a chain engaging all said sprockets.

6. A grading apparatus for material composed of substantially cylindrical bodies, comprising a pair of transversely spaced rollers providing a slot therebetween of increasing width from end to end, means to drive the rollers so that the faces adjacent the slot turn in an upward direction, and means to impart vibration to the rollers endwise thereof so as to cause cylindrical bodies fed onto the rollers to progress endwise along such rollers until they fall through the slot.

WILL n. JOHNSON. 

